Automatic vending-machine.



J. A. EVANS.

AUTOMATIC 4VENDING MACHINE.

v APPLIoA'rIoN FILED 11111112.1909.

Patented July 26, 1910.

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AUTOMATIC VBNDING MACHINE.

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Patented July 26, 1910.

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`AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYz, 1909.

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Messrs;

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JAMES ALEXANDRA EVANS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY IVIESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF T0 EDWARD W. OCONNOR, lO11" PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC VENDING-MACHINE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES ALEXANDRA EVANS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic vending machines and has more particular relation to that class of machines used for dispensing chewing gum, and the invention has for its principal object improvements in construction of this class of machines and its novelty resides in the new combinations, arrangements and constructions of parts, which will be hereinafter set forth and specilically pointed out in the claims.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the-accompanying drawings, forming part hereof and in which:

Figure 1, is a view in front elevation showing' the exterior of a vending machine embodying the invention, Fig. 2, is a similar view with certain parts shown in Fig. 1, removed to illustrate interior construction, Fig. 3, is a view in section taken upon the line 2?*8 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. ll, is a view taken upon the line 1 4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 5, is a view in rear elevation of the vending machine, with certain parts removed to illustrate interior construction, and Fig. 6, is a perspective view of a portion of the machine, illustrated in the foregoing figures.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a cabinet or casing 1, within which the various parts of a machine for automatically vending chewing gum are housed. The front of the cabinet may be provided with a removable cover Q, provided with means to lock the saine as at 3, adelivery opening 4, a glass front 5, and coin receiving slot 6.

Within the cabinet 1, is located a device for receiving and maintaining in position a stack of packages of chewing gum, and automatic mechanism for releasing and delivering one at a time these packages of gum. This mechanism, as shown in the drawings, is so arranged and constructed that it may be readily removed from the cabinet 1, in its assembled position, (see Fig. 6), if desired,

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led. July 2, 1909.

Patented July 26, 1910. serial No. 505,673.

and the description following will refer thereto, although it will be readily under- 4stood that the various parts may be assembled in other ways to accomplish the purpose of the invention.'

Suitably supported by the side walls of the cabinet l, is a supporting plate 7 ,apertured for the passage therethrough of a package of chewing gum. Rising from this plate is a chewing gum receiving receptacle 8, shown in the drawings as consisting of an inverted general U-shaped member, the uprights of which are channeled in order that a stack of packages of gum may be kept in alinenient. A portion of the uprights are cut away as at 9, for the insertion of the gum when replenishing the cabinet. Adjacent the apertured portion of the plate 7, guides 5, are provided, which, in effect, form a continuation of the receptacle 8.

As clearly illustrated in the drawings, the packages of gum to be delivered are genen ally rectangular in shape, comparatively long and quite thin.

Located beneath the supporting plate 7 adjacent the apertured portion thereof, and leading therefrom in an inclined position is a chute 10, that registers with the opening 4, in the cover of the cabinet 1.

In the present invention, use is made of devices for automatically advancing from a stack of packages of gum, one at a time, a package for delivery to other devices for finally releasing the same when subsequently operated automatically, the entire operation of the parts, in delivering a package of gum, being practically simultaneous, automatic and controlled and operated solely by depositing a coin within the slot 6.

A description will first be given of the mechanism for selecting and advancing to releasing mechanism, one at a time, packages of gum to be delivered. Depending from and fixed to the plate 7, is a support-ing frame 11, secured to which at each end thereofA are upwardly extending resilient pieces 12, shown as being leaf springs, provided with inwardly extending projections 13, and terminating in forked-end portions 14, that straddle reciprocating fingers 15. These fingers 15, are slidably supported in brackets 16, liXed to the underside of the plate 7. Normally, they have their inner or pointed ends projected beneath the stack or pile of packages of gum 17, being held in this position by the springs 12, causing thestops 18, to abut against the brackets 16, (see Fig. 2), the forkedends 14, of the springs 12, being interposed between pins 19, on the fingers 15. These fingers 15, by.

shaped fashion that serves as a tappet arm,

adaptedto impinge against the projections 13', of the springs 12, when the bar 20, is moved abouty its pivotal point for moving the fingers 15, from beneath a pile of packages of gum 17. The bar 12, is moved about its pivotal point when a coin is deposited within the slot 6. There extends across the said slot, a guard piece 22, fulcrumed as at 23, and having pivotal'relation with which is a rod 24, that is also pivotally connected as at 25, with the bar 20. In this connection, it may be remarked, that whenacoin is deposited within the slot 6, the guard piece 22, is moved about its fulcrumed point by the coin, thereby depressing the rod 24, and elevating the tappet arm 21, sufficiently to movehbackward the finger pieces and permit l one package of gum to drop upon the package delivering mechanism, about to be described, it being understood that by virtue of the springs 12, the fingers 15, immediately return to norlnal'position and prevent the remainder of the stack of packages from gravitating.

In the rear of the machine, (see Figs. 4, 5 and 6), there is suspended beneath the supporting plate 7, a pivotally arranged bar 26,. provided with a counterweight 27, and a pin 40,1hereina-fter referred to. Extending forwardly from this bar 26, and extending beneath the stack of packages of gum 17, and also beneath the fingers 15, are a pair of fingers 28, which, when the bar 26, is moved about its pivotal point, lower a package of gum that has been selected by the reciprocating fingers 15, to the chute 10, for delivery at the opening of t-he cabinet 1. The bar 26, is moved about its pivotal point through the instrumentality of coin operatedmechanism, a description of which will now be given. Arranged at the leftfhand side of the cabinet, (see Figs. 2 and 3), and fixed to the bar 26, is an escapement 29, capable-of being releasedby apivotally arranged detentV 30, providedwith a coin receiving-plate 31. As clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the detent is pivoted between a pair Ofplates 32 and 33, that serve to guide coins to the bottom of the cabinet in a manner hereinafter described. It may be here remarked that the weight 27, y on the bar 26, serves toreturn the fingers-28, to a substantially horizontal position after they have deposited a package of gum within the chute 10.

To operate the vending apparatus ofthe invention, a coin, as indicated in dotted lines by the letter a, is inserted within the coin slot 6, thereby forcing upward one end of the member 22, and pressing'downward the rod 24, thus causing the reciprocating fingers 15, to move away from beneath the packages ofV gum and permitting one of said packages to drop to and rest upon the fingers 28, of the bar 26. As the coin, after moving the bar 22, passes into the cabinet 1, it rolls along between the partitions 32 and 33, upon thevmember 34, impinges againstthe' plate 33, between said partitions, thus retarding the motion of the coin and it then rolls upon the coin lever 35, (see Fig. 3), which is pivotedvas at 36, to the partition 32, the said lever being provided with a screw-threaded portion for the reception ofa nut 37, which is adapted to be adjusted to only permit coins of the proper weight to depress the lever 35. If the coinbe a bad one, it will-not depress the lever 35, but will roll into the cabinet by way of the slot 38. However, ifthe coin be a good one, it will depress the lever 35, enter the slot 39,- andfdrop upon the coin plate 31, of the detent 30, thereby releasing the said detent from engagement with the escapement 29. The release of the escapement will cause the lingers 28, of the bar 26, to gravitate and deposit the lowermost package of chewing gum within the chute 30, it being' u-nderstood that the remaining packages of gum in the pile are held in position by virtue of the fingers 15, that have returned to place after the coin a, passed beyond the bar 22.

In order to prevent the misuse of the vending machine, a locking device is provided, a description of which willnow be Given. As clearly illustrated in Fig. 6, the frame 11, is provided with a pivotally ar ranged lock member 41, adapted to be normally retained in the position shown in Fig. 6, by means of a spring 42. As clearly shown in said figure, the lock member 41, is recessed at 43', said recessed portion resting upon the general U-shaped tappet arm 21. When a coin is placed within the vending machine and the tappet arm elevated as above described, the part 44, of the lock member 41, is caused to ride beneath the pin 40, of the bar 26, thereby locking the fingers 28, against downward movement. Then the parts ofthe vending machine are in this position, it will'be readily understood that no packages of gum can leave the machine under any circumstances.

As the tappet arm returns to normal position, the lock member 41, also returns to normal position and simultaneously therewith, the bar 26, moves about its pivotal point and lowers the fingers 28. This movement brings the pin 40, in the path of the lock member 4l, so that the tappet arm 21, cannot move upward until the bar 26, returns to normal position. It will thus be seen that the bar 20, and its complementa-l parts and the bar 26, and its complemental parts are so arranged, connected and constructed that the one serves to lock the other against joint movement. In other words, when the bar 20, is being operated, the bar 26, will not operate, and when the bar 26, is operating, the bar 20, cannot operate.

From the above description, it will be readily understood that the entire operation is automatic and that a package of gum will be delivered through the opening A, of the cabinet 1, when a proper coin is inserted through the slot 6, without resorting to the pushing or pulling of knobs or other manual operations, as is usual upon machines of this character. It will further be understood that the mechanism for selecting a package of gum to be delivered is entirely separate from and independent of the mechanism for delivering the packages of gum, thus reducing to a minimum the possibility of tampering with the operation of the machine to perpetrate fraud.

What I claim is l. In an automat-ic vending machine, a magazine for packages to be vended, reciprocating package selecting mediums adjacent the opposite sides of said magazine for releasing one at a time the lowermost package, starting mechanism. for operating said mediums, means for returning said mediums to normal position, an'ejecting element for receiving and delivering the released package, means for returning said element to normal position and a supplemental locking device for locking the ejecting element when the selecting mediums are operating and for locking the said mediums when the ejecting element is operating.

2. In an automatic vending machine, a magazine for packages to be vended, oppositely disposed reciprocating package selecting fingers, mechanism for moving said fingers from beneath the lowermost package to release the same, means for returning said fingers beneath t-he remaining packages, ejecting ngers for receiving and vending the released package, means for returning said fingers to normal position and supplemental locking means for moving into the path of the ejecting fingers during the acjecting pivotal ngers constructed to receive l and automatically deliver the released package and supplemental locking means for moving into the path of the pivotal fingers during the actuating of said selecting fingers and for retracting its movement to lie in the path of the selecting fingers during the delivery of the package.

4f. In an automatic vending machine, a magazine for packages to be vended, separating mechanism constructed to automatically select the lowermost package and permit it to gravitate to a lower plane for delivery, ejecting mechanism constructed to receive the separated 4package and automatically deliver it to a discharge chute, and supplemental locking means for moving into the path of the ejecting mechanism during the actuating of the separating mechanism and for retracting its movement to lie in the path of the separating mechanism during the delivery of a package.

5. In an automatic vending machine, a magazine for packages to be vended, reciprocating spring controlled separating ngers slidably arranged upon opposite sides of and normally projecting beneath said magazine to support the lowermost package, operating means for causing said fingers to pass laterally from beneath said package to release the same, forwardly projecting counter balanced pivotal ejecting fingers for receiving and delivering the released package, operating mechanism for releasing said pivotal fingers and a spring controlled lock member adapted to alternately lie in the path of the operating mechanism and the said pivotal fingers whereby when the separating fingers are operating the ejecting fingers are at rest and vice versa when the ejecting fingers are operating.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my name.

JAMES ALEXANDRA EVANS.

Vitnesses:

OTTO A. GUENTHER, WALTER STUEMPFIG. 

